Hello Brush Ninja community!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer break, filled with fun and memorable moments! As for me, I recently returned from a relaxing summer holiday with my family. We explored museums, wandered through castles, and enjoyed quality time together.

A Creative Journey with my 7-year-old

One of the highlights of the summer break is working on a video game project with my 7-year-old. He’s decided he wants to work in video games when he is an adult, and since I worked at a games company for 11 years I thought we could attempt a small project together.

We’re making a platform game and it’s been great seeing him designing levels and creating artwork. I’ve experienced some frustration in the game making app I chose since it’s more limited than it would be if I had used JavaScript and programmed it myself. But we can work much faster this way (albeit within limitations) - and he’s been enjoying the process, which is all that really matters.

Optimizing Brush Ninja

In the world of Brush Ninja, I’ve been working to make the animation experience even better. Some recent optimizations to the app have made it run faster, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable animation creation process. I’ve also been fine-tuning various elements across the site, aiming to make everything a bit nippier and more user-friendly.

Code Ninja 2d Update

The Code Ninja 2d app has seen some exciting developments too! I’m really pleased to announce two key features: variables and arcs. With the introduction of arcs, you can now draw curves effortlessly, adding creativity to your artworks. Variables bring a programming language-like functionality to Code Ninja, allowing you to perform basic math on properties. This feature opens up a world of possibilities for creating complex effects, especially within repeat loops.

Gallery and Social Media Updates

There hasn’t been much Brush Ninja activity on social media so I haven’t been able to update the gallery, which makes sense since it’s the summer holidays. Given the changes happening to Twitter (X) recently I don’t know how much longer I will be able to find gallery works on there, but I am considering alternative methods to ensure I can keep updating the gallery over the longer term.

Upcoming Plans

As the summer continues, I’m looking forward to spending quality time with my family while my son is off school. However, I’ll also be dedicating some time to further improving Brush Ninja. One exciting feature in the pipeline is the ability for members to use their own sound and music in animations. Additionally, I’m considering adding an option for audio tracks or background music to animations, adding new possibilities for storytelling.

Stay Connected!

Thank you for being part of the Brush Ninja community. Have a wonderful summer, and I look forward to connecting with you again next month with more exciting updates and creative news!

Happy animating!

Ben

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